The Hogfather
by Project Shadow
Summary: After accidentally killing Santa, Shadow has to take over. What if he finds out that he has to take a wife to keep himself alive? [ShadAmy]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose or any Sonic Team related characters.

**(A/N: a Christmas fic, with a twist.)**

**---**

**The Hogfather**

**Chapter One**

Silence swept through the room, only to be occasionally broken by the crackle from the fire in the fireplace. One lone figure sat in the warmth it provided, crimson eyes flickering in-time with the flames. The hedgehog was frowning at the tree that resided in the corner of the room; the custom was stupid and he didn't know why he had one up. Christmas wasn't a good time of year; he couldn't understand how other people didn't see it. The snow that had settled over the lands was pure; something the hedgehog assumed he was not. Shadow switched to staring at the fire the warmth it provided was a nice change and the opposite of the frozen wasteland that the snow had created. This holiday didn't hold anything for the onyx hedgehog; never had and never would. Standing from his seat he walked over to the window; wiping away some condensation fro the pane of glass he stared out at the white landscape. This peaceful time of year bothered the ruby orbed male; no one - apart from the thieves - through this season of _good-will_ dared to voice the evil in the world although it is around them as they celebrate. Shadow sighed to himself; he knew he wasn't the only one to be having an unwanted Christmas; there was one person who had had her heart broken a few days ago. One Amy Rose. The blue hedgehog had told her that her feelings were being wasted on him and that he could never return her love... Of course she had not taken it well and had cried for quite some time. Christmas, Shadow concluded from what he had seen so far, was a time for heartache and pain for those who had nothing, humans and hedgehogs alike. Walking away from his window and the winter 'wonderland' outside, the ebony hedgehog went into the kitchen to get something to eat. The selection however was bland; cursing to himself, the male tried to make something edible. After managing to scrape together a sandwich, he ate it in almost one bite, actually feeling the 'meal' dissipate the feeling of hunger. The time of year came back to his conscious thoughts; the meaning - to him - was no comfort, only misery; for an unfathomable reason the pink hedgehog entered his thoughts. Shadow frowned, he didn't care that much about her; he supposed the reason why she remained friends with him was because of what happened on the ARK. He heard his front gate open and as he heard faint voices, his cerise eyes narrowed. Storming to the front door he opened it to see carol singers advancing down the pathway to his door. A flash of blue caught his attention as the leader fiddled with the hood of his coat and a fierce growl emitted from his lips as he recognised who it was. As the onyx hedgehog went to close his door to pretend that he wasn't in, he was spotted

"Shadow!" Sonic's voice halted his efforts

"What?" He replied irritably

"Want to come carol singing?" The blue blur asked in response. Crimson eyes studied the others with his rival and noticed the lack of the pink female, as he turned to look at the hero Shadow could see hope in his emerald eyes

"No" the ebon male replied folding his arms

"Oh come on Shadow, its Christmas Eve! Where's your Christmas spirit?" The blue hero whined making everyone with him - including Shadow - cringe

"I don't have any" the streaked hedgehog replied closing the door in his adversary's face. Ignoring the group outside his door, Shadow sat in front of the fire again, warming himself up after the cold draft from the door from the carol escapade. A few hours later the black hedgehog yawned as he started to get ready to sleep; he hoped to sleep the holiday season away, then everything would go back to normal. Getting under the red duvet cover, he shivered involuntarily as the chill from the unused sheets travelled through his fur. Closing his eyes he managed to drift off into a light slumber.

Onyx ears twitched upon hearing something on the roof. The ebon hedgehog muttered obscenities under his breath as he turned to look at the red digital display of his bedside clock _One Forty-five? Who the hell is making that much noise at this time in the morning? _Another sound came from his roof and he glared at the ceiling, contemplating on going to investigate the rudely awoken hedgehog slipped his air-shoes on. Curiosity got the better of him and he quietly opened his window; upon managing to flip silently onto his roof from his room, he saw a big silhouette next to his chimney. Anger shot through him, how dare someone try and burgle him on Christmas Eve! Charging a powerful chaos spear, he gave the Doctor Eggman shaped figure a chance to notice him and leave but to Shadow's fury, he carried on regardless. Pointing his hand at the burglar he let a silent chaos spear towards the intruder; as it hit and made a slight flame when it cut through the clothes he was wearing, Shadow knew it had killed him. The ruby eyed male walked cautiously up to the figure lying on his roof, not sure if it was a trap. When he was stood above the body, he could make out a red and white top with matching bottoms; raising his unimpressed eyes to the face of the intruder a white beard stood out on his face and a matching red hat perched on his head. Shadow knelt to get a closer look at the jolly looking man, he looked familiar and the onyx hedgehog could not place where he had seen this person. Tracing his memories he found the answer in the deep recesses of his mind; this man was on the front of many cards and decorations for this time of year. Lifting up the old man's wrist, he searched for a pulse.

"Shit..." he swore when he couldn't find even a faint heartbeat. Standing, he clenched his fists together and began the walk back to his room, he'd move the body tomorrow; his mind was too confused to deal with it now.

Had he, Shadow the Hedgehog, just_ killed _Santa Claus?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose or any Sonic Team related characters.

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**Linkala: **I don't like Terry Pratchett, but that's part of the reason why It's called that, yes. :3  
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**(A/N: o.o I didn't think this would be that popular. Heh. I have no excuses for not updating, other than my brain practically died. Oh and I moved home. Enough of my rambling...)**

**---**

**Chapter Two**

Darkness still engulfed the room when Shadow woke up; crimson eyes stared at the ceiling not really believing what had happened last night. Had it been a dream? A manifestation of his dislike for this holiday? Shaking his head, he slipped out of bed and put his air-shoes on he was intent on seeing if there actually was a dead body on his roof, not even glancing at the clock to see what time it was. Opening his window, he repeated the same manoeuvre as earlier and flipped onto his roof. Snow was steadily falling which made it a little bit more difficult to get a good grip on the slippery tiles, Shadow looked towards the chimney stack after getting a decent grip and glared when he couldn't see a body, he could only see a red and white sleeve poking out from the fresh snow.

Walking up to the clothes, he searched for any sign of the jolly old man or any tracks proving he hadn't killed him. Upon seeing nothing to prove the man had been dragged away, the onyx hedgehog dusted some of the snow away from the clothes. Thoroughly confused he noticed a card sticking out of the jacket pocket; slowly closing his thumb and index finger around the object, he scrutinised the printed words that rested on the plain white card. _Santa Claus... Just great. _Shadow turned the card over to see if there was any ore information on the card. He read the sentence on the back. '_If something should happen to me, put on my suit. The reindeer will know what to do.' Reindeer? _His ruby eyes scanned his roof for any sign of these so called reindeer. Glaring back at the suit he snorted. There was no way he was going to put that on. Turning his back to the outfit, he threw the card over his shoulder and began the walk back to his room, the crisp morning air nipping at his skin through his midnight fur. A small jingle of bells made his ears pivot behind him, judging the noise that had broken the silence carefully. Pausing in his retreat, he moved his head slightly to look back through one blazing crimson eye

"What the-" Moving his body to face the direction he had just manoeuvred from, he was greeted by the form of six reindeer. _Where the hell did they come from?!_ As he studied the four-legged creatures that had magically appeared on his roof, his arms sneaked across his chest and he huffed to himself slightly. Deciding against just disposing of them, he cautiously approached the animals. His sharp eyes were then drawn to the device the reindeer were attached to. "Hmph, it isn't the most reliable mode of transportation," A disgruntled noise from one of the 'engines' of the sleigh and as Shadow looked to the creature; he scoffed at the offended look he was receiving. As he opened his mouth to tell them to 'get the hell off of his roof', he noticed one of the leading deer in the rows of two, nudging the festive garb towards him "No. Absolutely not!" he growled lowly before realising he was arguing with something that couldn't even converse. Grumbling under his breath, he turned once more, intending to escape the madness of events that had occurred on the roof of his home. Jumping back into his room, he pulled off his air-shoes with a small yawn, but before he could even think about returning to his comfy bed... The ring of the doorbell echoed through the silence of his home.

Small puffs of steam rose in the air as the small figure breathed the cold air into their lungs then back out into the atmosphere. Emerald eyes studied the dark mahogany door in front of her as she waited for the homeowner to answer. Shuffling the gift she had with her under her arm, she fiddled with the ends on the scarf that was securely around her neck. She didn't know why she had been compelled to visit him, but she didn't really argue with the feeling. Fingering the gift now in her hands, she looked down at it and a small smile came to her face. Her attention was then captured by the sound of the wooden obstacle being unlocked. Quickly moving the present behind her back, a friendly smile washed over her lips. In seeing a crimson striped arm leaning against the frame and the rapidly opening door, she opened her mouth to greet him

"What do you want?" a grumpy voice cut though her happy thoughts. Looking directly to his face, she watched a small frown grace his features

"I came to see you silly," she responded cheerfully "Not only that, but I got something for you"

"Do you know what time it is?" he asked, completely ignoring her reasoning. The pink female puffed out her cheeks and frowned at the un-joyous male stood in front of her, before she moved the hand that wasn't holding onto the package and raised her arm to make the sleeve of her insulated jacket fall away from her watch. A nervous giggle escaped her form as she read the analogue hands, six fifteen.

"Too early, I guess"

"Indeed" he grumbled, looking down to her. The smile on Amy's face returned as he continued to stay in her presence.

"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed, bringing forth the present she had spoken about previously "This is for you..." The smile on her face widening, she held the wrapped box out to him. She made sure to hold in a delighted squeal when his un-gloved hand took the offering. After watching his scrutinizing of the festive, colourful paper, the rose female giggled nervously at his silence "Well, sorry for interrupting or waking you Shadow. I guess I'll see you soon. Merry Christmas" She then began to depart from the onyx hedgehog's property, but as she was about to open the gate a voice stopped her

"Since you have travelled all the way here in the cold to see me, I guess I could at least invite you inside," his words were rough, but Amy knew better than to take them at 'face-value' "Although I have nothing to give you in return"

"Oh Shadow! The point of Christmas-" she exclaimed, looking over her shoulder to him before continuing "-is to make sure friends and loved ones know you care. In other words it's about giving and not receiving" she finished nodding to herself, ignoring the unimpressed look on the male hedgehogs face

"Are you going to come in or not? It is _quite _cold"

"Only if I'm not imposing-"

"Just come in if you want to" he growled in an irritated tone. Blinking, a smile came to her face, no matter what anyone said about the male in front of her, she would always see the gentleman in him. Another smile came to her face as she pretended to think over his offer; though she knew she'd accept his 'hospitality'

"Thank-you Shadow," she spoke softly, directing her jet eyes back to him "I'd love to" Walking through the still falling droplets of snow towards him, watching him step away from the doorway, accepting of her answer. Looking up to the sky as she meandered, thanking that whoever was looking down on her that someone was willing to be close to her, unlike a certain blue _hero_. Stopping her thoughts before she burst into tears, her eyes caught another pair of soft brown ones staring down at her from the edge of Shadow's roof. Halting her progress, a quizzical look formed over her smile

"Rose!" an even more agitated voice called to her. Brining her head back down from studying the strange eyes from above, she continued her journey to the waiting hedgehog.

"Um... Shadow?" Amy asked once she was inside his warm abode and pausing in hanging her coat on the only hook available

"What?" he responded, locking the door to prevent any unwanted visitors who wouldn't even bother to knock, then passing his ruby gaze to her

"Why is there a reindeer on your roof?"

---

I'm not too happy with how this chapter turned out, short and not enough humour but I guess the latter will come later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose or any Sonic Team related characters.

I'd like to thank: **Funky Editors 12, Elys, BehindtheShadow, Guardian of Balance, Shida San, Brooke the Vampire, Sonicfan18, TwilightPrincess012, Raicho Hachirobei, Nyago, CrazyShadAmyFan, Kurumi-chan, princesslady, Ivory Rose Illusionist, Xtrasupershadowgirl, Gohstchan and CapAmer07 **for the lovely reviews. :3

**(A/N: Late, but I was still in the festive/party mood -sweatdrop- The **_**real**_** humour comes in the next chapter X3)**

**---**

**Chapter Three**

Ruby eyes quickly passed back to the female who had inquired about the magical beings on his roof. _I knew I should have disposed of them!_ Frowning more to himself than at her questioning, he walked forwards; deliberately disregarding her observation. As he walked into his living room, he quickly went over to the heath to start a fire for them both, to busy himself and to think. Should he tell her about what he had done? Would she judge him for it, even if he explained what had happened in full detail? Scowling at the soot infested hole in front of him, he couldn't even come up with an answer, or reasonable explanation that Amy would understand. He threw a quick Chaos Spear into the fireplace, the fire igniting instantaneously. Standing from his crouched position, he turned to look for his guest. In seeing her absence from the room, he folded his arms and waited for her.

The female hedgehog sighed at being brushed off like that and slipped her shoes from her feet, placing them under her hanging coat. Sighing again, she walked to the doorway she had seen Shadow disappear though. Perking her ears up, she glanced around the mahogany door frame and found him staring at her. Smiling sheepishly, she shuffled into the room and made her way to him

"In response to your question," he started, eyeing her shoe-less feet "I have no idea what you are talking about," the lie was so smooth, the onyx male had to suppress a smirk "Perhaps it was just a hallucination caused by this time of year and your recent... 'Barrage' of emotions"

"Are you saying I'm crazy?" Amy asked, trying to verify his comments, her emerald orbs staring at his form with hurt dancing in them

"No, I was just pointing out that..." he tried to word his thoughts in a way that wouldn't upset the female further, but ended up giving into a sigh "Never mind"

"I definitely _saw_ something!" she insisted, ignoring his regard to her feelings "So I can either bug you about it or go and see for myself!"

"You are insistent, too insistent," Shadow responded, giving her a bored look "You can't even get onto the roof so your 'threat' is meaningless," he motioned to the sofa, changing the subject "Sit and warm yourself" Puffing out her cheeks, the rose female did as he requested. Slipping her legs under her, she gazed to the still standing hedgehog

"Won't you join me?" she asked, patting the seat beside her

"I prefer to stand"

"You're so difficult!" she complained light-heartedly, smiling when a smirk came to his face. She then scanned the room in interest and saw no decorations or even a hint of the holidays "Not a believer in Christmas I take it?"

"What gave you that idea?" His sarcastic response came to her perked ears. Giggling, she shrugged and played along with his comment; carrying on the observation of the dimly-lit room. Nothing obscure caught her attention before she was drawn back to her host. An awkward silence filled the room, only being broken by the occasional cracking sound from the roaring fire

"Thank you" the pink female broke the silence, a smile coming to her face as she continued to study the mysterious hedgehog

"For what?" he asked, turning his head away from her inquisitive gaze

"For inviting me inside and being a good friend," she answered, lowering her eyes to the floor "I know you have probably heard…"

"Yes, I have heard about what happened. You don't have to say anything about it… Mostly because I don't want you to cry" he stated bluntly. As he was about to continue his speech, a shuffling sound was heard from outside. Looking to the window, the hedge-girl saw a lot of snow falling from above. Knowing that it had fallen from the roof, due to the quantity, she stood and sent a glare towards the ebony male

"I'm going to take another look"

---

Pulling on her red and white boots, Amy walked to the door, pulling her coat more tightly around her form. Unlocking and then opening the front door to Shadow's home, she stepped out into the falling snow; shivering slightly at the nip the freezing wind brought to her cheeks. As she made her way across the blanket of white to get a better view of the window, she blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things. A ladder was placed just to the left of the pane of glass leading up to the roof. Taking a few tentative steps towards it, she gripped the side to make sure it was real. Had she missed it upon her arrival? Moving to stand directly in front of the rungs, a golden plaque caught her attention

"_The Rose Suchak Ladder Company_?" she read to herself, running a gloved finger over the inscription "That sounds familiar from somewhere…" Shrugging to herself, she pulled herself up onto the wooden object and climbed up; smiling all the while.

Once at the top, she gasped and looked at the magical creatures stood proudly on the roof. The smile returned to her face and as she was about to travel to pet them, Shadow's words rang through her head. Putting her hands on her hips, she cautiously looked over the edge of the edge

"Shadow! Were you lying? Or are you blind?" she called loudly, lifting one hand to the side of her mouth to help her voice travel. She jumped slightly as a flash came from behind her and an un-amused snort let her immediately know who the cause of the light was. The rose female turned to face him and jabbed a finger at the reindeer and sleigh, not saying a word. Crimson eyes followed after her pointing digit, scowling at the creatures, he passed an impassive look to the pink hedgehog

"How did you get up here?" he asked, ignoring the current situation she had placed him in

"The ladder," she pointed over her shoulder to the wooden legs that peeked over the tiles "It was set up like something wanted me to come up here," shrugging, she side-stepped the black and red blockade, intent on getting to the antler- adorned creatures. Shadow ignored her movements and was glaring at the ladder that had appeared against his abode. Had this holiday finally made him lose his mind? "Aw! They are so adorable!" Turning his head towards the admiring voice, he folded his streaked arms

"I wouldn't get too close to them Rose. You do not know where they have been" he stated smartly, getting a small sense of vengeance upon them for still being on his property. Green eyes rolled slightly at hearing the smart-talk from the cerise striped male and was about to reach out to go against his 'orders', when a red object sticking out of the white contrast caught her attention. Stepping closer to inspect it, she could feel the ebony hedgehog's gaze boring into her form. Bending down, she brushed some of the white substance covering it and blinked a few times in at realizing what it was

"Hey," she giggled, lifting the arm of the suit as she looked at him in amusement "Were you going to dress-up as Santa?"

Shadow's left eye twitched as the suggestion hit his ears. Scoffing, he tightened his folded arms and went into thought, averting his gaze to the floor so he wouldn't be distracted. _Damn it! Why does she have to interfere?! Maybe I should tell her? Otherwise I will never hear the end of it. _Sighing inwardly, he let his arms fall to his sides. Then walking over to the pink female, he picked the coat up and shook it slightly, leaving the sleeve in her fingers

"This isn't a mere costume," he spoke in a calm tone, his ruby eyes travelling to her emerald ones "This suit belonged to someone who, I thought, was trying to burgle my home. Only after that did I find a card saying that the human I had," he paused to find the right word "_Disposed_ of was this 'Santa Claus' that everyone keeps whittling on about" he then waited for his guest to respond, verbally or otherwise. Amy blinked a few times then looked over to the six other mammals on the slippery surface

"And the reindeer?"

"Won't go the hell away! I assume they are waiting for me to follow the cards instructions, to which I refuse!" the tainted male stated, then seeing his companions inquisitive look, elaborated "The card stated that I should put the suit on" he let the red fabric fall from his fingers as he turned his attention to the deer. A smile washed over the rose female's muzzle. Standing with the cloth still her grip, also piling the other articles of clothing into her arms, she trusted the pile out to him, the smile widening

"If that is the case Shadow," she began, stepping directly in front of him to shove the clothes into his chest "Why don't you just put it on?"


End file.
